Apparatus for loading or unloading cars



No. 770,652. PATPNTPD SEPT. zo, 1904.

J. M. PosPY. Y APPARATUS PoR LOADING 0R UNLOADING GARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20| 1904.

PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

J. M. PosEY. APPARATUS PoR LOADING 0R UNLOADING GARS.

APPLIOATION FILED PEB. 20. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

UNTTED STATES Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSHUA M. POSEY, YOF VIVIAN, LOUISIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.. 770,652, dated September, 1904. Application nea :February zo, 1904. serai No. 194,497. on model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSHUA M. PosEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vivian, in the parish of Caddo and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Loading or Unloading Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for loading and unloading railway-cars, and has for its object to provide improved means whereby railroad-cars may be rapidly and conveniently loaded either from a vehicle or from the ground and by means of which the contents of a car may in like manner be discharged.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularlyT pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a transverse sectional view of my improved apparatus, showing the sectional bridge in position for lowering merchandise from the vehicle to the car or from the car to the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe parts illustrated in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the two sections of the bridge turned to their inoperative positions. Fig. A is a transverse sectional view illustrating the inclined box-skid in position for use, and Fig. 5 isd a detail perspective view of the barrelski Referring to the drawings, the numeral l indicates a section of railway-track and preferably a railway-siding, the ties 2 of the roadbed at this point being preferably extended to form a foundation for the loading and unloading platform. vThe platform comprises a base or bed 3, which is spiked or otherwise suitably fastened to the extended ends of the ties and is provided at its opposite ends with uprights 4, in which are fixed two shafts 5 and 6, saidv shafts being arranged parallel to each other and also parallel to the rails of the track.

In practice the standards A are arranged a distanceV apart approximating, say, for example, twelve feet, and the platform is located at such a distance to one side of the trackrails as to permit a train safely passing said platform when the loading' and unloading devices are not in use.

Supported on the shafts 5 and 6 is a pivoted sectional bridge comprising two sections 7 and 8, each of said sections consisting of a horizontal board or platform, which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends upon one of the shafts 5 or 6, the platform-say 7, for example-being mounted in the manner described on the shaft 5 and the adjacent platform 8 being in a similar manner mounted upon the shaft 6, said platforms at their opposite ends being beveled, as at 9, to facilitate the passage of merchandise onto and off of the bridge. As shown, the two platforms or sections comprising the bridge are so pivotally mounted on the shafts 5 and 6 that when they are turned to their horizontal position their inner ends will practically abut one another, and rigidly secured to the inner end of one of the sections-such, for example, as 7 -is a trough-shaped bracket lO, which projects beyond the inner end of said section and is provided on its opposite sides with two alined perforations 11, which when the two sections of the bridge are brought into operative position register with a cylindrical aperture l2, formed transversely through the inner end portion of the section 8 o f the bridge. The rod or key 13 is provided, which after the sec- .tions of the bridge have been arranged in their horizontal plane is passed through the perforations 11 and 12, thus locking the two sections rigidly together.

When a car is to be loaded or unloaded, it is merely necessary for .the engineer to bring the particular car approximately in position relatively to the platform, when the section 7 of the bridge may be slid back or forth upon its shaft 5 until it is opposite the doorway formed in the side of the car or centrally opposite the side of a platform or gondola car. The section 7 of the bridge can then be lowered into position and the section 8 moved into place in such manner that the inner ends of the two sections engage one another, after which the locking rod or pin 13 is inserted in place, holding the two sections rigidly together. A

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wagon may then be moved into position adjacent to the outer end of the section 8 and the contents thereof may be conveniently slid over the bridge into the car, or the contents of the car in like manner may be moved therefrom into the vehicle. Should it be desired to load or unload boxes and the like-from the ground into or out of the car, the section 8 ofthe bridge is uncoupled from the section 7 and is moved laterally to one side on vits shaft and an inclined skid 14 is substituted therefor, said skidl comprising an inclined plane, which may be formed of a single plank or beam or a plurality of the same, the upper Vend of the skid having formed transversely through it a cylindrical aperture 15, which is adapted to register with the perforations 11, before referred to, whereby when the upper end of the skid is seated within the trough-shaped bracket on the end 7 of the bridge the locking-pin may be passed therethrough, thus coupling together the skid and the section 7 of the bridge. The bridge then consists of a horizontal section 7 and an inclined section 14, up which the boxes may be slid, and thence onto the horizontal section and into the car, or the contents of the ear may in like manner lbe moved over the hori- Zontal section and down the inclined section. The skid 14 on the under side of its upper end is provided with a transverse groove 16, said grooved portion being arranged to hook over and engage the shaft 6. If barrels, casks, hogsheads, or the like are to be loaded into or unloaded from the car, the skid 14 may be uncoupled from the section 7 of the bridge and a skid 17 be substituted therefor similar in all respects to the skid 14, before described, excepting that the skid 17 intermediate its upper and lower ends comprises two side rails 18, said side rails in cross-section being beveled in such manner that they gradually increase in thickness from their upper toward their lower edges, whereby the skid is adapted to accommodate barrels or casks of varying diameters. It will of course be understood that when either one of the skids referred to are not actually being employed for loading or unloading a car they will be uncoupled from the seetion 7 of the sectional bridge and either moved to one side of the shaft 6 or entirely removed from the platform, and it will also bev understood that after a car has been loaded or unloaded over the sectional bridge 7 8 the coupling-pin will be removed and that then by turning the two sections of the bridge about their axes they can be laterally shifted in opposite directions and turn about the shafts 5 and 6, so as to throw the section 7 out of the path of a train traveling on the track or siding and also throw the section 8 of the bridge out of the way of a vehicle being driven alongside of the platform in position to load or unload a car. The sectional bridge referred to in each instance comprises two similar parts-namely, one section arranged to be lowered onto the floor of the car and the other section arranged to be coupled to the first-named section in such manner that boxes, barrels, casks, and the like may be moved over the bridge either from the ground or from a vehicle into the car or from a car onto the ground or into a vehicle-and by making them laterally movable on their supporting-shafts in the manner described it is rendered unnecessary for the car to be placed with any practical degree of accuracy relative to the platform, as after the train has been brought to a standstill the sectional bridge may be moved laterally until it is in convenient position for use; also, by rotatablysupporting the sections of the bridge on the shafts in the manner described the sections may be turned so as to place them out of the way in the manner and for the purpose described.

In all the several instances referred to the two parts of the sectional bridge when placed in operative position constitute a chute by means of which merchandise may be loaded into and unloaded from the cars. y

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a platform arranged parallel with the railway-track, of a sectional bridge comprising two sections pivotally supported on said platform and constructed to be turned to one position to form a chute for loading and unloading a car and to be turned to another position to place said sections out of the way, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a platformarranged parallel with the railway-track, -of a sectional bridge comprising two sections pivotally supported independently on the platform and constructed to be turned to one position to form a chute for loading and unloading the car and to be turned. to another position to place said sec-l scribed.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination witha platform arranged parallel with the railway-track, of a bridge movably supported on the platform and arranged to be moved into and out of engagement with the car and longitudinally adjustable relative to the car, for the purpose specified.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a platform ar- IOO IIO

ranged parallel with the railway-track, of a longitudinal shaft supported by said platform, a chute pivoted intermediate its ends upon said shaft and adapted to be turned thereon to engage the car and to be thrown out of engagement, for the purpose specified.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a platform arranged parallel with the railway-track, of a shaft supported by said platform in parallelism with the track, a chute pivoted intermediate its ends upon said shaft and adapted to be thrown into and out of engagement with a car on the track, an extension adapted to be connected to said chute, and means for detachably coupling said exension to said chute, for the purpose specifie 7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a platform arranged parallel with the railway-track, of two parallel s'hafts supported by said platform in parallelism with the track, a sectional bridge comprising two sections respectively hinged intermediate their ends upon said shafts, said sections being adapted to be independently adjusted longitudinally of said shafts, and means for coupling said sections together, for the purpose specified.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a platform arranged parallel with the railway-track, of two parallel shafts supported by said platform in parallelism with the railway-track, a sectional bridge comprising two sections respectively pivotally supported intermediate their ends on said shafts, one of said sections being provided at one end with a trough-shaped bracket adapted to receive the adjacent end of the other section,

and a coupling-pin extending through said bracket and the end of the section seated in the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSHUA M. POSEY. Witnesses:

R. C. CARROLL, J. M. BREWER. 

